More Speed, Less Haste

Remember when I admitted to having no new sewing project lined up after I finished the pj bottoms? Well, I still had no plan this week  (until this morning I have been waiting for the pattern for the Simplicity Blogger Challenge to arrive). So I decided to use some left over fabric to make up a new dress for my daughter. I've made this pattern before (a couple of months ago in my pre blog days) and it came out OK, but I wanted to see if I could do it better.

I couldn't! 

In your mind, please take the title of this post ("More Speed, Less Haste") and replace "less haste" with "less quality" or, more accurately in his case, "really really shoddy sewing". The worst bit is the wonky way the contrasting band at the bottom is attached to the upper spotty part.  That just went wrong from the off! I didn't match the pieces well enough and I didn't keep the seams even, so the band piece ended up smaller than the upper part. That meant that the only way to attach it to the upper part was to pinch it up in places- so now the whole thing is bunched up in places. The only way to make it look half decent is to not slip stitch aground the whole contrast band on the inside. There's a big flappy gap in there. Uggggggh! It's depressing. Let's not talk about it anymore!

What it comes down to is that I just didn't put the effort in. I didn't care about the fabric because I hadn't bought it with this project in mind. I'd found the pattern challenging and unclear the first time I used it, and unsurprisingly it was exactly the same this time!!!


Ho hum. I'm just going to have to chalk this one up to experience. (Post blog note: actually, after looking at the photos for this post, I think I might take the contrasting band off the bottom and turn into a little spotty vest top. I could still salvage something from this horror!) The pattern has arrived for the Simplicity competition now, and I've already bought the fabric, so that will be my next project. I really, really want to do a good job with it, so I hereby commit to TAKE. MY. TIME!!!!

Sloppy seconds

Short and sweet post this week. Just like the sneaky pair of pj shorts that I've made out of some of the left over fabric that I didn't need to finish my boyfriend's full length birthday pj bottoms. It's a "his 'n' hers" sort of thing. Cute hey?

I'm genearally really happy with them. My first attempt at applying bias tape around the bottom went really well. The only scruffy bit is where the two ends meet - and that's my fault. I didn't read far enough ahead in the pattern and I tried to machine it all the way around when I should have slip stitched the end by hand. Another one that I'll know how to do better next time. It was pre made bias tape, but I reckon I could make my own another time.






And before you ask - yes! I got the button holes nicely aligned this time! Which means that my shorts are are better than the boyfriend's birthday present! Ha!






Again, I still need to make it to a shop to get some ribbon or similar for a drawstring, so imagine that's there too when perusing these photos(once the birthday celebrations are done I'll upload a picture of us both).

The importance of forward planning

I've very nearly finished the pj bottoms. I just need to get something to make the drawstring out of. Unfortunately, as they're a birthday present I can't photograph them on the owner yet, but I've taken couple of hanger shots.... I realised fairly quickly that pattern matching this print is waaaaaaaaay beyond me (and possibly completely impossible). But what I did give special attention to was making sure the same pattern runs up the centre of each leg piece. And that worked quite well. The pattern wraps all the way around and there is a nice flow to it. All things considered, I think that's the best I could have hoped for. 

Now for the mistakes though. And this is a real clanger! ...  Somehow, the button holes for the draw string to pass through don't line up. At all. I worked really hard on matching all the notches and pattern markings, but just didn't pay any attention to these bad boys! Definitely one of those mistakes to learn something from... Will not do that again. Note to self etc. For now, I'm hoping that once the drawstring is in and the waist is gathered up a bit more it won't be so noticeable! Spotting any other mistakes will have to wait until the boyfriend has tried them on. Pllllleeeeeasssse let them fit?!



So now this is finished, I have problem...  I've not planned my next project yet! Over the past few months I've always made sure I have the next fabric and a pattern lined up, but not this time. I think maybe I'll have another go at a toddler dress I made for my little girl at the beginning of the year. Pre blog. Or maybe some pj shorts for myself. I also need to start thinking design. I've entered the 'newcomer' category in this Simplicty competition. Basically, the challenge is to construct a a simple skirt and turn it into a "sensational, stand out statement piece". Alright then!

Pencil Skirt

This week I finished a lined pencil skirt, based on Butterwick B5466 but with a lining and self stiffening waist band as suggested by May Martin in her Sewing Bible. It's so much better than I thought it would be - meaning that I could actually wear it! The fabric is 'green tea' peppered cotton and the lining is 'heather' poly cotton. The lining was really easy to work with, but I did find neatening the seams with my over locker foot on the peppered cotton a bit tricky. The cotton kept gathering up under the foot, so it does look a bit untidy in places. Of course, the true beauty of the lining is that you'll never see those bits! In terms of construction, the only real issue I had was when and how to 'drop' the lining in. May makes it sound so simple in her book. Basically, (and I'm paraphrasing of course) she suggests that you stick it inside the main skirt and attach the waist band to both layers. This has worked pretty well, but the lining is not attached around the zip at all. Having watched Thursday's Great British Sewing Bee, I think what I should have done is, drop in the lining before the zip, and then attach that through both layers, just like the waist band. To be honest, it's no biggie. I've got a wearable and comfy garment with a working and fairly well concealed zip. The lining might not be put in right, but it does make it feel that bit more special. In terms of fit... Well, you can see for yourselves here:

Firstly, I need a better understanding of how body measurements relate to finished garment size. I was 100% sure this skirt was going to be too small. It's not. If anything it's too big. Certainly not slinky enough! In this case, that was a pleasant surprise but imagine how frustrating it could be... I started working with a Simplicity pattern last night and noticed that they actually state garment sizes as well as body sizes - so you can allow for more or less ease depending on the type of garment and material. Seems sensible. Hopefully I'll be able to strike the right balance. So, although it physically fits, the bit I'm most disappointed with is the baggy side seams. I know why this has happened- my hips are a size smaller than my waist. Which means I also know what I need to do to fix it- eat less cake! Unfortunately, I've tried that before and it doesn't work. So plan B is to learn how to adjust my patterns. 

Feeling buoyed by my overall success with the skirt, I got started on *those* pj bottoms last night. As you know from my last post, I really love the pattern on the fabric I'm using so I want to at least try and do it justice. As a result, I am attempting a bit of pattern matching. Honestly, I'm not feeling super confident about it... It took three houses to commit to cutting out the two front leg pieces last night!!!

The Big Dilemma

I had a day off on Friday. A proper day off. No toddler with chicken pox, no DIY, no spring cleaning. A day all to myself. I had been waiting for it for a very long time.  It started with a free slice of carrot cake and a cuppa at John Lewis. While I was there I decided to stock up on some hab-dash bits and bobs (whilst I pride myself on not getting suckered in by advertising, a loyalty scheme can easily part me from my money!). Anyhoo, whilst perusing the fabric I found this awesome cotton at half price. I immediately purchased 3 metres.

The initial intention was to make super cool pj bottoms for my boyfriend. It's his birthday at the end of the month - perfect right? Wrong... It's the old 'selfish sewer' dilemma. I love this print too much and I think it would make an amazeballs shift dress, so I want it for myself! How awful is that?!

I still hadn't decided by the time I got home, so I distracted myself with cushion covers instead. Check out these bold prints that I recently ordered from Fabric Rehab. They look so great together and somehow give the sofa just the right uplift in time for spring (getting side tracked here but this morning I used the washing line for the first time since we moved into our new house last autumn. I shouldn't get carried away, but summer is coming!!!) I even covered matching buttons for each cushion. Something I'd not done before, but it's really easy and it finishes the covers off really nicely.

Of course, I will end up making the pj bottoms. There's plenty of fantastic fabrics around for millions of shift dresses. Right?!